Let Me Bleed
by MyEyesightIsBad
Summary: AU: He was a killing machine, a man made of both flesh and metal, ordered to kill and forced to live in darkness. She was a doctor, bright and kind, following orders and ready to save lives. Two polar opposites in a world filled with death and sorrow, who would win in this tragic reality? The murderer or the healer? SasoSaku. Rated for Profanities, Mature Themes, Gore and Lemons.
1. Chapter 1

When Sakura had officially become a doctor, she had thought that life would've finally taken a turn for the better. She was working her dream job, had a decent pay and was surrounded by people who both loved and admired her. The hospital she had been transfered to was located in a big city, miles and miles away from her hometown, but known for being the best in the country. Her name had been written in the newspaper alongside words of praise for being one of the best medical students, earning titles and achievements few people got.

And yet, it wasn't like she expected it to be.

Police sirens were heard in the distance alongside numerous car horns, echoing in the dark night while the ambulance quickly made its way near the hospital entrance. Citizens were screaming and crying in desperation, clutching their loved ones by their bloodied clothes and refusing to leave. People began to take care of the wounded in panic, bringing in one patient to another, as the seemingly endless amount of victims refused to stop.

Sakura ran towards the emergency room, sweat drenched and stained with blood. Nurses from the other side of the hall shouted, begging her to come faster as they held a small wounded boy with an open abdomen, heavily bleeding and close to dying. She rushed as fast as she could, trying her hardest to avoid the hands that reached out to desperately grab her coat, an attempt at asking for her help and assistance concerning the less fortunate ones.

She panted, running at full speed whilst also keeping balance so as to not slip on some blood. Her pink heels tapped roughly on the bloody floor, soaking them in the dark, pungent liquid as she got closer to the nurses. Cries and screams of pain were heard in the nearby emergency room as she passed by them, making her heart ache in sadness at the dreadful situation.

She managed, if not with difficulty, to reach the boy and carry him gently in her arms. He looked at her with half-lidded eyes, breathing slowly. She tapped him by the cheek, hoping he wouldn't fall unconscious just yet and looked for an empty space. He whispered a name repeatedly, almost like some kind of enchantment, and blinked lazily at Sakura, who told him that 'everything will be just fine'.

"I'm so tired..." he said, looking even more pale now that Sakura got a closer look at him. "I want... want to sleep..."

"No, no sweetie don't sleep just yet, please!" She begged, feeling like her heart was going to tear itself into tiny pieces at the sight. "You'll be fine, we will take care of you!"

The boy murmured the name again, forcing himself despite his obvious fatigue and weakness. His wound was deep and fatal, it was no doubt that in a few moments he would die if not being taken care of.

"Miss Haruno! Over here!" One of the nurses shouted from inside a room, waving frantically. Sakura wasted no time and quickly got into the emergency room, laying the boy down on the operating table as gently as she could. Her eyes scanned the area for the necessary instruments and found none, they had surely been used and/or taken. Sakura cursed loudly and glared at the nurses.

"There's nothing I can use! Bring me the equipment and quick!" She yelled, impatient and in complete panic. The nurses nodded and ran out, leaving only one with Sakura to help with the injections.

Another explosion echoed in the distance followed with screams of terror, crowds and crowds of people were escaping the chaos, running away from danger and taking shelter in the other part of the city. There were over thousands of wounded victims and even more deaths, which explained how the hospital got so full already. The one on the other side of town, where the chaos erupted, had been blown up completely according to the military officers. The few clinics around the safe part were barely able to hold a sufficient amount, and the military's doctors and nurses who were helping amidst the 'battlefield' were more than a little overwhelmed.

Sakura felt like she was about to choke due to stress. She took off her bloodied coat and threw it out of the room, reminding herself that everything had to be thoroughly clean before helping a wounded individual. The nurses came back with gloves and the necessary instruments before dashing back to help other doctors in need.

"Hold on, alright?" She told the boy, trying to look reassuring despite the sounds of explosions roaring nearby. "You'll be fine, I'm here for you."

The boy looked up tiredly, his eyes nearly void of light but still very brown and alive. He hadn't been able to reply due to the oxygen mask covering his mouth, but she could tell that he was thankful regardless.

He grabbed her weakly by the finger, squeezing it with all his might. His hand was so small, so weak and tender... it made her want to cry.

"Hold on..." she whispered, her voice quivering, "stay strong okay?"

He closed his eyes and Sakura took it as a cue to begin, she looked at his injuries and winced slightly. There was a thin line of yellow fat along the edge of the wound, which went a few inches deep into the muscle, so cleanly cut that she feared someone had sliced it open. His sides were also bruised and he suffered from several broken ribs, perhaps due to heavy impact. She had never seen someone so broken, so hurt, it was going to be tough but she felt determined to save the innocent soul.

The ground shook every now and then during the process, but she didn't give up. Instruments fell on the floor as the explosions started feeling closer and closer, while the nurse whom had stayed with her tried to assist as much as she possible.

Sakura felt her wipe some sweat off of her forehead and she nodded in silent thanks. She kept a close eye on the heart monitor and continued to take off some small glass shards from his severe wound. She was getting there, carefully, she was saving his life.

The ground shook again, this time dangerously violent. The nurse next to Sakura began to visibly panic as she whispered in urgency;

"They're getting close..."

The pinkette bit her lip, hidden underneath the surgical mask. "Stop panicking, let me finish this!"

However, just as she finished her sentence did a loud, piercing and violent explosion shook the ground beneath their feet, making both the nurse and Sakura fall on the floor instanlty. The door opened and a military officer yelled at them both to evacuate and take shelter in the underground, followed by crowds of doctors, staff, and a few patients running at full speed on the hallway.

"Doctor! We have to leave!" The nurse urged, pulling Sakura by the sleeve as she refused to move.

"I can't just leave him!" The pinkette stubbornly wrenched her arm away, looking at the boy with wild green eyes.

"It's unfortunate, it really is but we can't take him along! He is doomed anyway, with all of these injuries!"

"No..." Sakura shook her head, "no, I _can_ save hi-" she was cut off by another explosion, this time louder than any of the previous ones. It felt so close, so near, it was a wonder that the glass windows didn't shatter to pieces in the lobby.

Having enough of it, the military officer decided to pull Sakura by force; finally making her move away from the wounded boy. Her eyes widened in surprise as she tried to break free, but the sudden shock of the ground moving beneath their feet had her grow unexpectedly weak, making her usual superhuman strength seem meek and average next to the officer's firm grip.

"Let's go!" He said, quickly leading the two women towards the emergency exit. Sakura looked back at the room, at the boy, then at the heart monitor. He was pale, asleep, but still _alive._

And she was letting him there to die.

"Forgive me...!" She whispered to herself while running, "forgive me forgive me!"

"Miss Haruno!" The nurse yelled and held her hand, "get yourself together! We're almost there."

They ran and everything was like a blur. The walls broke and the ceiling collapsed; falling on the crowd of people behind them. She choked back tears but continued, never looking back while focusing on the path straight ahead. They went downstairs, pushing past wounded victims and dead bodies, nearly tripping on a few of them. Soon enough, they found the exit and left the hospital, but what lied ahead was far worse than anything Sakura could imagine.

Half of the city was in ruin, broken, destroyed... void of lights and color. Screams echoed from the distance, a painful reminder that others were suffering and running about in the danger-zone, desperately trying to save their lives despite the obvious outcome.

She felt her limbs go weak at the sight, yet kept on running regardless. The streets reeked of smoke, burnt flesh and death, distracting her immensely.

"Focus!" The officer said as he squeezed her arm tighter. She muttered an apology and focused like he told her to, concentrating on his broad back and at the road that lied ahead. Eventually, they reached the nearby police station and went inside, urged on by the other officers as they lead the way.

"Everyone, get on the platform!" One of the men said, pointing at the metal platform in the lobby. The small group did as they were told, with some men blocking the passage to a few people. "Wait for a moment, you'll all get to safety." They told them, trying to get a hold of the situation, and have them remain calm. Sakura looked at their panicked expressions, at their bloodied clothes and their injuries with pained eyes, unable to withstand the need to help everyone. The nurse whom had left with her, took hold of her hand in a warm gesture, a small smile on her face. Sakura looked up and smiled back, albeit weakly.

The soldiers that had brought the groups nodded at eachother before pressing on a button. Slowly, the metallic platform went down like an elevator; taking them to the underground where everything was meant to be safe. Sakura looked up, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if trying to memorize its pale color. It had been her first day as a doctor, her first day at the hospital, and perhaps also her last.

Screams and yells still echoed into the distance as they got lower and lower from the surface. She could faintly hear the rapid-fire and grenades being thrown on and about, making the ground shake and the ceiling crack. Her big wide green eyes remained fixed on that crack, as it grew longer and longer... until suddenly, it broke into a hole; revealing the wide sky and the stars.

The soldiers on top suddenly cried out with the people screaming for their lives, the explosion had destroyed the police station and was now attacked. They had found the secret underground shelter, they were going to-!

An officer yelled;

"Shut it! Quickly!"

People screamed, the ceiling fell on the group and had fallen on some of them, rendering a few unconscious.

"Be careful, doctor!"

Her eyes were still fixated on that spot though, that hole that revealed the dark sky and the heavy smoke. She probably didn't look at anything else, but that gap in between.

Then, there was a flash of red; red hair... she thought, and a pair of brown chocolate eyes that were wide, yet empty, almost void of life.

They were so close in color to that boy's, and yet while that small little victim was closer to death than this man on the roof; they were definitely far more alive.

She was staring at a live corpse.

And then everything went black.

 **(To be continued)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Soo there's some pretty graphic content in the first part of this chapter ( **gore** ), you're free to skip it as you'd like. From now on, I'll be sure to give you guys warnings, in case there are a few things you don't wish to read. :)

"How is it, Sasori? How do you feel?" A voice whispered from above, sweet and gentle, warm and caring. It tickled his skin pleasantly; the breath of the speaker... giving off such a familiar feeling.

"I'm okay," he answered, his voice sounding somewhat... younger. "I'm strong, I can take care of myself."

The speaker chuckled and he felt a warm hand caress his cheek, "of course you are."

 _'Who..'_

"We have raised you so well, such a fine young man you are turning into."

 _'... is this?'_

"It's about time you start going on missions by yourself, after all, we did train you." The mysterious speaker chuckled, and it was then that he realized;

 _'Ah, a woman.'_

"But I've been told-" his younger self began, then gulped in obvious nervousness, "that these missions wouldn't be like the rest?"

He could feel an emotion then, but hadn't manage to decipher which one. It was warm and sweet, almost as sweet as the person who was cradling his small form. It whispered reassuring words while patting his hair, as if soothing a scared animal. He felt like the warm feeling went both ways, because his smaller self smiled and closed his eyes, at ease.

Things still appeared blurry and uneven, but if he tried a little more...

"What are you doing..?" His dream self asked, voice anxious and frightened when two firm gloved hands squeezed his shoulders, pushing him on something cold and smooth- a table, perhaps.

"We're helping you, sweetie." The woman whispered with a hint of worry in her voice, "it'll hurt a bit, but just this once. After that, everything will be just fine."

There was a flash of white, blinding him momentarily, then his vision came back as he started to focus.

He looked at his small arms and hands, confused at what was happening. He still had his flesh, his human bones, organs and overall body- well, whatever was left of it anyway. When he stared down; he found out that only half of him had been intact, the rest: _gone._

There was no pain, just terror and discomfort at having lost his lower half.

The woman whom he had been talking to gave his hand a gentle squeeze; smiling despite all of the gore. Upon closer inspection, she too had been stained with blood, possibly his, he would never truly know anyway.

"What's going to be done to me?"

He caught her sharp intake of breath, making him tilt his head in curiosity. There was no answer to his question, only silence and fear. His younger self looked down again, taking notice of the many tubes that were inserted into his body; keeping him alive, he thought. _Pointless._

There was nothing else to be said, and so the woman left abruptly. The room felt ten times colder when she was gone, letting his little self shiver uncontrollably. Five people then entered, all wearing masks and gloves as they began touching him, experimenting on him.

It never ended, five more kept on coming, each of them were clawing at his face, ripping flesh and taking everything they could. His eyes were wide as he stared down only but to see them tear off whatever remained of his chest, stuffing bits of his body in a large bag that gradually got red with blood.

A man taller than the rest of them suddenly took hold of his arm, twisting it painfully in a brutal attempt to rip it off while the lady at the back peeled his skin with her long nails. Everyone reached out, hands blinding his vision as they all retreated with a peace of _himself._

Surprisingly, he didn't scream; as if it didn't matter at all. They were taking everything away, quite literally, and yet he barely even moved or showed slight discomfort. The fear had been gone, replaced with emptiness and indifference, feelings that he knew of, at least.

His vision suddenly faded when the clawed hands started scratching at his eyes, making the blood spill on his cheeks, warm and cold at the same time. He felt them get closer to his heart, digging deeper into his body with obscene sounds. Nothing made sense, everything turned into madness, and he didn't know how to respond to it.

"Sasori," another warm voice called out, barely audible now that they were trying to tear his ears off. A hand reached out to him, perfectly clean and void of any blood; it was open and inviting, as if offering help.

His lack of sight hadn't done him any grace as he desperately tried to take that hand, moving his arm frantically in search for it. The masked strangers weren't merciful in their work as they kept on scratching and tearing the skin of his arm, going through every part with violent dermination. It seemed as though they took on roles, all focusing on certain parts of his body to thoroughly destroy, leaving nothing but mashed meat and broken bones.

"A-a... mo...ma-" he was trying to say something, trying to call out but they had already reached his vocal cords, rendering him mute. A hand then entered his mouth, grabbing his tongue firmly to eventually pull it out with one swift jerk of the arm, leaving him to gasp silently. His lungs had been taken, there was no way he could breathe at all, and yet his heart was still beating violently in his chest- well, whatever remained of his chest, that is.

There was nothing else, he was bare, open, left without anything. He couldn't see, couldn't feel; but had been aware that there was a hole in his body, hole that led straight towards his heart.

It was beating powerfully, as if trying to intimidate the mysterious masked men and women, who stopped immediately to stare at it. They wanted to reach out, but at the same time they didn't, afraid of something... afraid of _someone._

The seconds stretched into minutes as they continued staring at Sasori's pitiful carcass, trying to communicate with unspoken words. They eventually moved away to exit the room, leaving the remains of what was previously a healthy young boy on the cold, operating table. Moments later, the warm presence came back again, hovering above, feeling sweet and welcoming and oddly safe...

He couldn't see or feel, but for some reason he had known that she had come for him, that she was there to save him.

The hand reached out again, slow and steady, easing his worries and calming his senses. He thought he could feel its warm caress on his cheek again, despite having lost his skin. He thought he could touch it, be craddled in that mysterious woman's arms like before- but there was nothing else left of him to hold.

So with the little power he had left, he arched his back pitifully-

In a futile and disgusting attempt to give her his heart.

* * *

When Sasori's vision came back; the first thing he saw was a pair of curious blue eyes, staring at him wide with wonder.

"I've been calling you for a while now, y'know." Deidara said, brows furrowed in frustration, "What the fuck happened to you, man?"

Sasori didn't blink, he merely looked around at their surroundings in silence. They were still in the police station, the _roof-less_ police station, he corrected mentally- and their soon-to-be victims had left for the underground, resulting in a mission failure.

He stared down at his body next, midly wondering if what he had experienced moments ago was a dream, or a vision. It had felt somewhat real and yet very unfamiliar at the same time, giving him a bad after-taste. Those kinds of day-dreams were rare and uncommon for men of his nature, but he had no explanation regarding them... so he was not going to dwell on it any further.

His partner for the mission; Deidara, had long given up on getting an answer, and so he simply shrugged and went back on his spot next to the window, taking care of his explosives. He then decided to ask another question whilst looking at his weapons.

"Do you always sleep with your eyes open?" He said with a hint of disgust, "It's darn creepy."

"I don't sleep," Sasori corrected him with a snort before fixating the blood-soaked ground, "I was merely... lost in my thoughts, I suppose."

"More like day-dreaming, yeah." Deidara hummed, "I called out like, six times already, you didn't move or answer. I kinda' thought you died on me, man."

"I don't die," He corrected him again, this time feeling slightly annoyed. Deidara shrugged at his response; the man had a short attention span and Sasori took it as an opportunity to stand up and scrutinize the place, trying for a different path that could lead to the underground.

"I hope you are aware," the red-head began, "that it was your carelessness that lead us to this situation."

"Oh yeah?" Deidara smiled without looking up, "do tell me more."

"Those bombs and explosives of yours weren't exactly tactful." Sasori spoke with a careful tone, experimentally pressing the palm of his hand on the closed gate, "we were asked to find the gates that lead to the underground in _secrecy."_ He shook his head in disapproval, "not to blow everything up and alarm the military. Reinforcements are surely on their way by now, it is just a matter of time before we get attacked... again."

"I don't see what's wrong. Their little shelter underneath us is only used in cases of high emergency." He chuckled darkly, "and I gave them a pretty good reason to use it, yeah. We were just a little slow this time around, but we'll find a way."

"And as for the military," he continued with a mischievous smile, "they'll get what's coming for em', yup."

Sasori shrugged, he wasn't a fan of Deidara's messy forms of 'art'. They had been ordered, precisely, to find the underground and _then_ eradicate the city of its citizens. But considering he had been partnered up with an odd ideologist with no sense of tact or stealth, things changed rather inconveniently.

First of all; the idiot had wanted to do both at the same time: getting rid of all the people inside and find the shelter.

Second of all, he felt the need to use his explosives immediately, saying that it would be quicker and a much more effective way than using Sasori's _'creations'._

And Lastly, the freak was _enjoying_ himself, laughing through every explosion and shouting at everyone to admire his perfect portrait; his wonderful, spontaneous forms of art. Not only was it unprofessional, but also stupidly dangerous since he was exposing himself through it; letting the special forces take a look at his face and find out his identity...

Had it not been for Sasori's quick thinking, Deidara would have already been taken for questionning by now.

"I sincerely hope that you won't be even more of a hassle on our next mission," Sasori spoke coldly, "any more stupidity coming from you and It'll be your heart on a silver platter."

Deidara feigned hurt by dramatically pressing a hand to his chest, right on top of his heart.

"Why, you're not planning on transforming me into one of your immortal little toys now, yeah?" He said with a hint of mockery, "I assure you, I'd make a very bad puppet."

"Rest assured," the red-head spoke while calmly monitoring his wandering creations, "I only grab hold of those with hidden beauty, something you clearly lack of."

"Harsh," the blonde answered absent-mindedly, then continued the work he had at hand. It took but mere minutes for a shadow to loom from behind, startling him and making him turn around in alarm.

Deidara cursed loudly at the lifeless figure behind him, "shit! Keep those things in track, man! They're seriously freaky!"

Sasori ignored him though, focusing on the man behind the broken wall with hidden concetration. The figure soon enough walked towards him, obeying silent orders, then threw a rather round object that rolled slopily towards the red-head's feet.

Deidara had been watching the scene with mild disgust, grimacing like a child that ate something bitter for the first time. There was just something about Sasori's creations that didn't sit well with him, even though he somewhat respected them.

"What's that?" The blonde finally asked while pointing at the mysterious... 'thing' Sasori bent down to take. The latter fixated the object with wide, unperturbed eyes before nodding in answer, as if confirming something.

"It's the head of the special forces," he explained, "both literally and figuratively."

To prove his point to a confused Deidara; Sasori turned the 'thing' around to reveal a shocked, wide face and a bitten toungue, covered in both dirt and blood. It was truly a head, in bad shape from being pulled by the roots, but still a head regardless.

"Can't believe you ordered them to do that shit," Deidara said with a raised brow, "is it like, what, proof of having killed them?"

"Yes," Sasori replied casually, "it is the best way to confirm if the job has been done and dealt with." He threw the head over his shoulder, letting it hit the wall with a wet thud. "Soon enough, this city will belong to Pain, but before that..." his eyes glanced at the thick gate, sealed shut and unacessible; "we'll have to get rid of the rats down below."

* * *

"Miss Haruno?" The nurse called softly, her hand on the pinkette's back, "are you alright?" She asked with concern, genuinely worried about her safety. Sakura nodded slowly, unsure if she was _truly_ aright. Physically, she only had but a few bruises here and there, mentally though...

How was she mentally?

"Sorry for making you worry, Emma." Sakura smiled, "all I need is a good night's rest, I've... been rather tired." She admitted, feeling like her body was ten times heavier than usual. The nurse; Emma, bit her lip and clung to the pinkette a little, feeling a lot safer with a person whom she was familiar with, even if it had been but a mere day.

They had been taken to the underground due to security reasons; a parallel city which had been built specifically for situations like these. It was huge, almost as big as the city on the surface, with buildings, apartments, shops and even a small clinic on the far side. It could easily shelter more than ten thousand people for years, however, she doubted they would remain there for a long time... due to various circumstances.

The small duo was surrounded by survivors who, by the look of it, had better days. Everyone wore a grim expression, if not outright crying in despair. Some obviously lost loved ones, while others just stood there wondering where fate would take them. It made Sakura somewhat thankful that her family and friends weren't part of this rather huge community, if they had then she surely would have spent the past half-an-hour looking for them in panic.

Emma held Sakura's hands, to which the latter replied with a soft and reassuring squeeze. The petite nurse looked up at the taller woman with watery eyes, seeking comfort in the doctor's presence.

"I'm worried, Miss Haruno, my family..." She began, trying to hold back her tears, "I... I'm not sure if they're fine."

"No no, don't worry." Sakura said softly, "you mentionned that they live in the eastern district, yes? I've heard an officer say that that part of the city remained untouched."

This seemed to have calmed her down a little, "I hope so, I'm so terribly scared."

The pinkette chuckled, "we're all scared, but we're safe too. That's what matters for now."

They stood there, both seeking relief from eachothers' presence until a man wearing the standard dark blue police uniform came with a bunch of blankets. When he got close enough, Sakura recognized him as the officer who had took them towards the police station and shelter.

"How are you two holding up?" He asked with a smile, "not too cold I hope? The underground is unusually chilly." He laughed boyishly and handed over the dark blankets, to which Sakura took with extreme gratitude.

"Thank you," she said while wrapping the soft fabric around her shoulders, feeling ten times better already. "You saved us back there, really, you were amazing. Thank you. May you give us the honor of knowing your name?"

Hearing such words of praise made the man redden a little, but he immediately straightened up and took off his hat in a gentlemanly gesture to introduce himself. Sakura's eyes widened slightly at the sight of spiky blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, as the man, who suddenly appeared so much younger; proudly announced his name.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I'm a rank B officer from the underground." He declared with a boyish grin, showing his pearly whites to both of the women, "It is my duty and honor to help you, err, Miss Sakura Haruno." He finished, having read her name from the name tag. The pinkette giggled in amusement and shook his hand, happy to see such an enthusiastic man amongst the grumpy officers.

"Pleasure to meet you, officer Uzumaki." She grinned back then gestured at shy little Emma on her left, "This is Emma, my co-worker, she's also very grateful for your help."

The two exchanged polite greetings, with Emma blushing slightly on her part. This Naruto Uzumaki appeared to be a nice man, a bit too boyishly immature in terms of appearances, but a nice man indeed. He had ran around giving people blankets and drinks, trying his hardest to cheer each and every one of them, espacially the children; whom he had spent extra time talking to.

That in itself made Sakura feel warmer on the inside, it was so rare to find someone as kind nowadays. People were usually cold and indifferent, like Sasuke, whom she couldn't help but love despite everything he had done.

'Sasuke...' She thought, her spirits falling immediately. She missed him so much that it hurt, right in the heart. Having left her hometown for the big city, she realized that a lot of her close friends and family might be worried sick about her after hearing the news. What if they thought her dead? What if they tried to reach out to her? Come here and-

'No no!' The pinkette shook her head frantically, chasing the bad thoughts away, 'they won't be stupid enough to come! I'll find a telephone and tell them I'm safe, everything will be fine.'

Sakura nodded at her resolve then turned around to look at Naruto, politely waiting for him to finish his conversation with Emma. When he was done, she pulled at his sleeve timidly, and he bent slightly down to lend her his ear.

"What is it?" He asked, curious.

"I'm sorry, but is there a way for me to contact my family? They live in a town miles away from here, surely, they'll be worried after seeing the news and... I really, _really_ need to tell them that I'm fine." She whispered, unsure if asking him would be the right thing to do. Naruto looked at her with a bit of pity, understanding her situation very well. The man appeared to be rather sensitive and compassionate, rare traits from an officer of his rank.

"Ah," he began, nervously rubbing the back of his neck in thought; "Well, it's prohibited to contact the outside world for a certain period of time, due to security reasons. Only people in charge of running the underground can communicate with the other nearby cities, aside from that, I doubt... yeah..." His voice trailed off, and Sakura felt like her heart was about to break.

She wasn't allowed to contact her family and tell them that she was alright.

They were going to worry about her without receiving any news.

"Shit..." She cursed and ran a hand through her hair, feeling the stress build up inside of her. The last thing she wanted was to worry anyone, much less her parents! Living in the underground for god knows how long, with that thought, became akin to torture.

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized, "Wish I could help. But hey, at least you could ask our chief!"

Sakura blinked at that, "Chief?" she repeated, slightly curious.

The blonde nodded, "Yeah, the chief of the underground. He's the one in charge here, he's been living in this shelter for over twenty years."

Emma, who had been quietly minding her own business, felt her ears pipe up after hearing that surprising bit of information. "Twenty years! How old is he?!"

Naruto shrugged, "Not very old, around thirty-five, thirty-six I guess. He's the strongest man I know of."

"And he's never left?" Sakura asked with a tilt of the head.

"Nope, never."

"Well I'll be damned! He must be plenty brave to remain here for so long, it's so dark and vast... wasn't he lonely?"

Naruto laughed at that, "I doubt that guy would ever feel lonely! He's been stuffing his head in books and other things since forever, besides, some officers were there with him, including me."

After hearing that, Sakura felt the sudden need to ask more about his life in the underground, but was cut off by the blonde's apologetic wave as he left to help other people. She looked at his back with a mixture of both adoration and respect; as he was a kind man who had successfully managed to lift her spirits up... she wouldn't mind talking to him more, and perhaps befriend him when the occasion presented itself. However, he was an officer and was bound to be frequently busy, much to her disappointment. Perhaps the pinkette would ahve to give up on that idea for a while...

Suddenly, there was the sound of double doors sliding open on her right; and everyone turned to look at the tall figure of a man emerging from the main building. He had spiky white hair that appeared to defy gravity, and was wearing a mask that hid a good portion of his face; save for one eye that was as dark as the underground's roof.

"Ah ah, what a surprise... To think my peaceful days here are coming to an end so quickly." He sighed, walking towards the crowd in a lazy fashion, looking every bit relaxed while ignoring everyone's stares. Two officers followed him, holding what appeared to be papers of some sort.

The tall man cleared his throat and took one of the papers, reading in a loud, slightly humorous tone.

"So, welcome to the underground shelter everyone! I'm Kakashi Hatake, head chief of the underground forces..."

 **(To be continued...)**


End file.
